Circuit maker and breaker



April 12, 1932.

H. A. DOUGLAS CIRCUIT MAKER AND BREAKER Filed March 17, 1927 PatentedApr. 12, 1932 UNITED STATES HARRY A. DOUGLAS, OF BRONSON, MICHIGANCIRCUIT MAKER AND BREAKER Application filed March 17, 1927.

My invention relates to circuit makers and breakers employed inconnection with the hand steering wheels of automotive vehicles. Theinvention has for its general object an improved association of a handoperated lever mechanism in controlling relation with the circuit makingand breaking mechanism and in which such hand operated lever mechanismis upon the under or far side of the hand steering wheel, so as not tointerfere with accessibility to this wheel.

The invention has for another object the provision of switchingmechanism in con trolling relation to lighting and signaling circuitsand unitary operating mechanism therefor adjacent the steering wheel andadapted, when operated in one manner, to regulate a lighting circuitand, when operated in another manner, to regulate the signaling circuit.The signaling circuit is usually in control of an audible signal such asa horn and in order that the horn may be quickly sounded, the unitaryswitch operating mechanism is desirably so designed that a signal willbe manifested upon slight movement of this switch operating mechanism.This switch operating mechanism desirably includes a rod which may beturned upon its axis to control the lighting circuits and may be movedalong its axis to control the signaling circuit. This rod extends alongthe steering column from the switching mechanism at a lower portion ofthe column into proximity to the steering wheel at the upper end of thecolumn where it is assembled with a lever which is mounted to turn in aplane transverse to the axis of the rod to operate the switchingmechanism in a manner to control the lighting circuit and which lever ismounted to swing with reference to the rod upon an axis that istransverse to the axis of the rod, the lever being so coupled with therod that when the lever is manually depressed, it will move the rodlongitudinally of its axis to close the signaling circuit, there beingautomatic means, such as a spring, which will restore the lever from itsdepressed position to open the signaling circuit. Thus the signalingcircuit may be established by merely tapping the lever, which may beSerial No. 176,232.

done with the lever in any position to which it is turned to adjust thelighting circuit.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure l is a side elevation showing the preferredembodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional Viewof a part of the structure appearing in Figure 1; Figure 3 is asectional view on line 33 of Figure 2; Figure 1} is a sectional view online i-i of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Figure2.

The switching mechanism shown for purposes of illustration includes aswitch contact 2. A metallic bridging element 5 is mounted to turn andis so constructed that in one position it will connect the contact 6,which may be connected with a source of current such as a battery, withthe contact 2 to cause the head lamps to be in circuit and in anotherposition to be out of engagement with the contact 2 whereby the headlamps are out of circuit.

The bridging element 5 is carried by a disc of insulation 8 which has asquare hole centraliy thereof snugly receiving asquare rod 43, so thatwhen this rod is turned the disc 8 and the bridging element 5 will turn.Said disc and bridging element 5 are housed within a switch casing whichis inclusive of a cup shaped member 10 and a closure disc 11 ofinsulation opposite the end wall of the cup. At one end, the rod 43 hasa bearing in a tubular continuation of the cup 10, said rod also havinga reduced portion 9 which turns within the disc 11 through which thisportion passes. The contacts 2 and 6 are spring pressed, these contactsprojecting from metallic spring barrels 13 that contain springs whichpress outwardly upon said contacts which engage either the bridgingelement 5 or the insulating disc 8 according to the position to whichthe rod 43 is turned. The spring barrels 13 have reduced ends which passthrough the insulating disc 11, screws 15 serving to connect thesespring barrels with the wiring that pertains to the head lamp circuitand a. horn circuit, for example. The rod 43 is not only mounted to turnto control the head lamp circuit, but is reciprocable in a directionangular to its plane of rotation to control the horn or other signalingcircuit, horn contacts 17 and 18 being also mounted on the insulatingdisc 11 and spaced apart thereon. In this instance, the contact 18 alsoin electrical connection with the contact 6. The lower end of the rod 43carries a metallic bridging element 19 which is normally disengaged fromthe contacts 17 and 18, but which is brought into engagement with thesecontacts upon suitable longitudinal movement of the rod.

To manipulate the rod 43, in accordance with my invention, I have hereshown a short rod 33 which is journaled within a gear casing 34 that issuitably assembled with the steering column 20 which houses the steeringshaft 23 upon which is mounted the steering wheel 22. The interior ofthe gear casing 34 is in communication with the interior of the steeringcolumn 20. The rod 33 is movable longitudinally of its axis to controlthe horn circuit and is rotatable upon its axis to control the head lampcircuit, as will shortly appear.

A coil spring 35 has its upper end in abutting engagement with the topwall of the gear casing 34 and has its lower end in engagement with asegmental pinion 36 which is fixed upon the lower end of the rod 33,this pinion 36 having abutting engagement with the bottom wall of thegear casing. The pinion 36 is in mesh with a segmental pinion 37 whichis fixed on the upper end of a rod 38 located within the steering column20 and that projects through the lower wall of the gear casing 34. Thelower end of the rod 38 carries a segmental pinion 39 which is in meshwith a segmental pinion 40 that is contained within a casing 41 whichreceives the casing 10. A spring 42 presses the pinion 40 downwardly toplace the rod 43 in its lower position.

The rods 33 and 38 are coupled to move longitudinally of their axes bythe hooding of the pinions 37 and 39, whereby these pinions and thepinions 36 and T0 are in thrusting engagement, as illustrated. It willbe apparent that when the handle 30, which is pivotally connected to therod 33, at 31, is moved in the plane of the axis of the rod'33, thehandle 30 will fulcrum on its hub 32 and the rods 33, 38, and 43 will bemoved along their axes to close the horn circuit, the spring 35operating to open the horn circuit when the handle is released. When thehandle 30 is turned, obviously the bridging member 5 will also be turnedto connector disconnect contacts 2 and 6 to control the head lamp circuit. It will be further apparent that the handle 30 may be moved in theplane of the axis ofthe rod 33 in any position to which the handle isturned upon the axis of the rod 33, so that the horn may be operated inany position of the handle. 7

As illustrated, the steering column and steering shaft may be held inposition by means of a clamping bracket 24 which is secured to anddepends from the panel 25 upon the vehicle body.

Since the under or far side of the steering wheel is the side away fromthe driver, the handle 30 is out of reach of accidental operation. hen Isay that the handle is upon the under or far side of the steering wheelI mean that the steering wheel is between the driver and the handle.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim:

1. A circuit maker and breaker for an automotive vehicle employing astationary hollow steering column through which a. steering shaft passesthat carries a hand operated steering wheel, including complementalcontacts one of which is rotatable in a plane that is transverse to theaxis of the steering shaft and into and out of engagement with the otherand complemental contacts one of which is movable into and out ofengagement with the other by movement along the steering shaft; a rodcontained within t steering column between said column and steeringshaft mounted to turn and also to tudinally movable and coupled byintern eshing gears withthe rotatable contact to turn the same when therod is turned and coupled by hooding the underside of the rod gear withthe other movable contact to move the same when the rod is moved alongthe steering shaft, said rod being located between the far side of thesteering wheel and said contacts; a bracket upon the steering columnupon the far side of the steering wheel and on which said rod is mountedto turn; and a hand operated lever coupled by intermeshing gears withsaid rod to turn it and move it longitudinally by hooding the upper sideof the rod gear and also located upon the far side of the steeringwheel, said lever being rotatable in a plane transverse to the axis ofthe steering shaft to turn said rod and also rotatable in a plane alongthe steering shaft to force longitudinal movement of the rod.

2. A circuit maker and breaker for an automotive vehicle employing astationary hollow steering column through which a steering shaft passesthat carries a hand operated steering wheel, including a casing.

mounted upon the exterior of the steering column adjacent the steeringwheel provided with a portion adapted to enter within the steeringcolumn, a second casing spaced apart from the first casing mounted uponthe steer ing column and havin a portion adapted to enter within saidcolumn, a rod mounted to rotate and to move longitudinally in guidesprovided therefor in the respective portions of the casing enteringwithin the steering column, a shaft mounted in the first named casingparallel to said rod provided with a hand operated lever coupled theretoupon the upper side of the casing and adapted to impart rotative andlongitudinal movement to said shaft, a gear upon the other end of theshaft meshing with the gear carried upon the upper end of the rod, aspring interposed between the gear on the shaft and the upper side ofthe casing to maintain the gear in contact with the lower side of thecasing, said gear upon the upper end of the shaft provided with a hoodadapted to engage the gear teeth of the shaft gear when moved by thehandle longitudinally against the pressure of the spring and impart asimilar longitudinal movement to the rod, complemental contacts mountedin the second named casing one of which is rotatable in a plane that istransverse to the axis of the steering shaft and into and out ofengagement with the other and complemental contacts one of which ismovable into and out of engagement with the other by'movement along asteering shaft, a shaft mounted iIf this second named casing for bothrotative and longitudinal movement and adapted to rotate the rotatablecontact and having a sliding transverse movement therewith adapted tomove one member of the other complemental contacts into engagement, aspring between the upper end of the shaft and upper end of the casingnormally maintaining the movable contact out of engagement, a gearmounted upon the upper end of said shaft intermeshing with a gearmounted upon the lower end of the rod, said gear hooded upon theunderside adapted to engage the teeth of the shaft gear and move theshaft upward when the rod is moved upward, whereby rotation of the handlever imparts a similar rotation to the rotatable set of complementalcontacts to make and break one circuit and whereby depression of thehand operating lever imparts an upward movement to the rod against thetension of the two springs in the respec tive cases and through thehooded gears upon said shaft closes the other set of complementalcontacts to close another circuit.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS.

